Detective Chief Inspector Phil Benholme discovers that the death of Professor Unwala in his cluttered London study was no accident--the Nobel Prize winner was in fact murdered. But Benholme's search for a motive leads him to an unfortunate conclusion. And what does a cop with a reputation for being "soft" do when his own teenage son is a prime suspect?.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com Review
Detective Chief Inspector Phil Benholme of the Barshire County Constabulary has earned the reputation of being "soft" because he always thinks about the feelings of others. "If you were about to be run down by a train, you'd worry about the engine driver," as his ex-wife says. So when an elderly Indian scientist, the Nobel Prize-winning Professor Unwala, is found beaten to death and Benholme's own teenage son appears to be involved, he bends over backwards to make sure that the boy gets no preferential treatment--and almost destroys a complicated investigation in the process.
H.R.F. Keating, one of the crown jewels of the British mystery scene, takes a break from his famous series about India's Inspector Ghote to give us a subtle, sad story of crime in the blighted London suburbs that perfectly matches today's reality. The murder scene is a once-comfortable house next to a new expressway where foreign trucks and cars roar by. "What must once have been a long stretch of lawn, big enough in times long gone for croquet, was now a short, ugly area of uncut tussocky grass." It's a place where teenagers come to buy drugs; where racist gangs flourish; where rumors about sexual deviance and hidden treasure can quickly turn deadly. Bullied by impatient superiors and sneered at behind his back by most of his ambitious colleagues, Benholme struggles to behave decently and do his job. His creator has done likewise, here and in such other deserving titles as The Perfect Murder, Asking Questions, and Inspector Ghote Caught in Meshes. --Dick Adler
From Publishers Weekly
"Soft as a duck's arse," his sergeant observes of London's Detective Chief Inspector Phil Benholme, although not to his face. When Professor Unwala, an aging scientist who'd won a Nobel Prize in the 1940s, is murdered, Benholme's calm detachment faces a terrible test: his own teenage son emerges as a suspect. Conor Benholme was in the victim's neighborhood but he refuses to provide a credible explanation for his presence there. Inspector Benholme views his son's possible involvement in the murder as a rebuke to his own parenting. Was he too soft a father as Conor grew up? Dutifully reporting Conor to his superiors, Benholme is removed from the case and begins investigating scenarios that would clear the boy. Racism may have figured in the professor's death. A paramilitary group operated in the area. Unwala's late wife, an archeologist, discovered a legendary buried treasure, according to the local rumor mill. Conor's classmates frequented the scene of the murder to buy drugs. Within this solidly plotted story, Keating's compelling personal portraits stand out. Scenes of the police interrogating the teenage suspects are especially gripping. (Oct.) FYI: Keating, awarded the Crime Writers Association Diamond Dagger Award for Lifetime Achievement, writes the Inspector Ghote series.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent Benholme police procedural,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Soft Detective (Hardcover)
The murder of Professor Unwala, a former Nobel prize winner, shakes up Detective Chief Inspector Phil Benholme because his son Colin is a viable suspect. Phil, who has the empathic ability to look at a crime from the varying perspectives of the willing and unwilling participants, wonders if he has been too soft on his teenage son. Phil informs his superiors that he has a personal interest in the case and is rightfully replaced. Though he is no longer officially on the Unwala murder investigation, Phil cannot remain on the sidelines when Colin's future seems bleaker by the clue. He begins his own inquiries, which lead him to wonder if the death of the renowned scientist might be racially motivated or related to illegal drug dealing? In any event, Phil will grit his teeth and wear rubber underwear as he tries to learn the truth even if it means that he turns out to be a failure as a father. The fourth Benholme novel is the best entry in what is one of the superior English police procedurals of the nineties. The story line is strong and well designed, but it is the characterizations that make THE SOFT DETECTIVE a powerful novel that should be required reading of sub-genre fans. Anyone who wants to spend some quality time with mystery novels, must peruse the novels of H.R.F. Keating (there must be at least thirty-five of them) because they are some of the best. Harriet Klausner
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
From High Hopes to High Disappointment,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Soft Detective (Hardcover)
With a large backlog of books yet unread, but always on the lookout for something different and new, I came across the excellent reviews of THE SOFT DETECTIVE and felt that it looked very interesting, with a good premise. Not finding any of Keating's books in local bookstores to try to judge whether he would be to my taste, I ordered the book anyway. This was one of those times that the chance did not win out. What may have been a good short story was a slow paced and boring novel that, if it weren't so easy to read, I would have put down long before its 270+ pages had come to their own merciful end.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Your son is your prime suspect,
By
This review is from: The Soft Detective (Hardcover)
DCI Benholme is a quiet, empathetic person who always looks at the other's point of view. This should be a valuable trait in a detective but it conflicts with the hard-nosed world of policing. It also cost him his wife, who left him for a jock. And maybe he hasn't been such a good father either, although he loves his wife and son. He doesn't get much respect from any quarter. But he is an honest, careful, dedicated investigator, and his first suspect in this murder is none other than his own son. These are the two elements that set this novel apart - the "softness" of the character and his son as suspect, which of course torments him. It is an easy to read, entertaining, and unpredictable book that is skillfully crafted.
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